Wisconsin & publicly funded sports stadiums everywhere for @thecentersquare. Email jstyf(at)https://xitter.cf/t.co/7FUbxQJfep.
Joined June 2010
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Jon Styf retweeted
GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE AND $1 MILLION CHEVY: The Georgia Department of Human Services, which oversees the state's child welfare agency, paid more than $950,000 for just one Chevrolet Traverse.
The department won't explain why. But documents obtained by @thecentersquare show that most of the cost is apparently is for sophisticated spying equipment that will be used by a unit tasked with rescuing sex-trafficked foster teens.
From the records, it appears Georgia's child protective services has bought a cell-site simulator, a powerful surveillance device normally used by law enforcement that mimics a cell phone tower to track and tap into cell phones remotely.
The purchase raises questions about whether the equipment could violate constitutional rights and the department's authority as a child welfare service.
🧵, and story below ⬇️ /1
Jon Styf retweeted
Here's the client list of the consultancy who conducted the commissioned "Revenue & Impact Study" of the KC Royals stadium. How many clients would it have if it showed what the actual research evidence has demonstrated for 50 years? This isn't a "study" it's purchased propaganda
Jon Styf retweeted
Reminder that the WIAA is not subject to open meetings laws despite being funded almost entirely by taxpayer dollars.
So when decisions like this are made to force a school to forfeit their game after a player *literally died* they’re made behind closed doors without any public oversight.
Yet another epic and obvious failure by @wiaawi
I/W has yet to be beaten on the field, however the hits keep coming off the field. Being forced to take a forfeit for not playing THE DAY after the death of a player just isn't right.
@TravisBOUND @ColtonWilson23
Jon Styf retweeted
NEW: Kalshi petitions 7th Circuit to appeal a Wisconsin federal court ruling that Tribes can assert IGRA claims vs. nonparties to a compact for unauthorized Class 3 gaming on Indian lands and that UIGEA exclusion for DCM trading doesn’t override IGRA as to sports-event contracts.
Jon Styf retweeted
Yep. Several other cities too—a complete disaster in Toronto and Vancouver. Seattle bad too. NYC was awful except for Final match. Houston probably made out best, largely because Houston in June & July isn’t exactly a tourism magnet.
Jon Styf retweeted
How much difference can crossing a state line make for health care costs?
A new report shared exclusively with The Center Square found Wisconsin hospitals receive 25.6% more than Illinois hospitals for the same services. Even within Advocate Health, Wisconsin hospitals received 23% more for identical services than the company's Illinois facilities.
Researchers say consolidation and reduced competition in Wisconsin's hospital market could be helping drive the difference.
Read more:
thecentersquare.com/wisconsi…
Jon Styf retweeted
The CFTC has moved to expedite its 7th Circuit appeal of the Wisconsin federal court’s denial of its motion for preliminary injunction, says that state enforcement “will irreparably harm the CFTC and the markets it regulates and expedited consideration will mitigate that harm.”
Jon Styf retweeted
Here’s more information about how to help:
Please consider joining William Contreras, Jackson Chourio, Néstor Corredor and our Milwaukee community to aid in relief efforts for Venezuelan earthquake victims
Learn more: forwardlatino.org
#BeyondTheDiamond
Jon Styf retweeted
30 years ago, Gateway director Thomas Chema ridiculed economists for predicting exactly what has happened as a result of his pet project, because... THIS ONE WILL BE DIFFERENT! tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1…
Jon Styf retweeted
Important to remember this is the NFL and other sports leagues playbook every time. "if you don't give us everything we want the team dies" is how they get taxpayers to fund stadiums and carve out monopoly protections. Its not cut and dry good vs bad.
Jon Styf retweeted
America's Addiction to Stadium Subsidies #economics #stadiums #subsidies youtube.com/shorts/0V_HpyQxZ… via @YouTube
Jon Styf retweeted
We remain committed to pursuing all legal avenues necessary to ensure that government decisions affecting Wisconsin students are made openly, lawfully, and in the public interest.
thecentersquare.com/wisconsi…
Jon Styf retweeted
Statement from the Bears: "We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share."
Jon Styf retweeted
Ok. Beginning a Deep Dive. Big problem on page two. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS would be INELIGIBLE for a Stadium Authority to attract a BEARS Stadium.
The bill allows a Municipal Stadium authority in communities over 70,000 ENTIRELY LOCATED in Cook County. This is a problem because a small portion of Arlington Heights is in Lake County, which would make it ineligible.
LOL. Amateur Hour or deliberate sabotage by Chicago?
🚨Americans for Prosperity Illinois (@AFPIllinois) opposes the new stadium bill for Cook County/Bears.
HB 958 Senate Amendment 2 is not “taxpayer protection.”
It creates a new public stadium subsidy framework.
What the bill does:
• Creates a Municipal Stadium Authority
• Let the authority own a pro sports stadium
• Makes the stadium property-tax exempt
• Allows authority revenue bonds without referendum
• Allows the municipality to issue GO bonds
• Allows pledged public revenues to repay debt
• Opens the door to STAR/NOVA district financing
• Let future sales-tax growth be used for the project
This is better than the megaproject bill only because it does not appear to create the same phantom-EAV property-tax bomb.
But it still goes the wrong direction.
Instead of a private-use stadium paying property taxes or a negotiated PILOT, the bill lets it be publicly owned and removed from the tax base entirely.
That means ordinary taxpayers carry more of the load.
Lawmakers had a better option: tax certainty without a blank check.
AFP-Illinois opposes HB 958 SA 2.
This is corporate welfare, not property-tax relief.
ilga.gov/documents/legislati…
Jon Styf retweeted
BIG DEVELOPMENT: Cunningham tells us “the proposal that the Bears have put out there does not have the support to pass,” referring to the PILOT tool, and they’re “trying to figure out if there's another way to make sure the Bears build the stadium in Illinois without using that.”
Jon Styf retweeted
Kalshi is seeking permission to appeal the Wisconsin federal court's denial of its motion to dismiss the Ho-Chunk Nation's IGRA claims predicated on the offering of sports-event contracts on its Indian lands, highlights tension betwween IGRA and UIGEA carveout for DCM trading.
Jon Styf retweeted
What is most disturbing is that they raise taxes just because.
They don’t need another gas tax increase, they can’t spend it fast enough anyways.
They didn’t need a toll increase, but they did anyways.
They didn’t need a sales tax increase for transit, but they did it anyways.
Same here. They don’t need these tax increases to “balance” the budget, but they are just doing it in hopes that it’s legal.
Jon Styf retweeted
Darn those tribes!! thecentersquare.com/wisconsi…
Jon Styf retweeted
No, they’ve spent two decades trying to get taxpayers to build them a home.
The Tampa Bay Rays, the owners of the best record in the major leagues, have spent nearly two decades trying to build a new stadium.
Their latest proposal might be their last shot. 🔗 on.wsj.com/43mBZt1
